Cambodia & Laos Defence Forum

[biendong]

King Norodom Sihamoni visited Vietnam. He visited Hue Citadel of Nguyen Dynasty Vietnam.

Quốc vương Campuchia Norodom Sihamoni thăm và nghỉ dưỡng tại Việt Nam | Thời sự | Thanh Niên

 

[Aepsilons]

The Emperor of Viet Nam, and the King of Cambodia.

 

[biendong]

Emperor is called President now in Vietnam SR.

Our last Emperor Baodai is dead 30 July 1997 (aged 83).

 

[Aepsilons]

Cambodia Marks Milestone in UN Peacekeeping Contributions

On January 2, Cambodia dispatched a new batch of peacekeepers to Lebanon as the nation marks its decade-long involvement in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping, Khmer Times reported.

According to Gen. Sem Sovanny, director-general of the Cambodian National Center for Peacekeeping Forces, Mines, and ERW Clearance, the sixth batch of 184 peacekeepers being deployed to Lebanon would replace the fifth batch, whose one-year mission had concluded.

“It marks the tenth year that Cambodia has sent peacekeepers to war-torn countries,” he said during a sending-off ceremony at the Phnom Penh International Airport.

Multirole Engineering Unit 936, the Cambodian military engineering group to be deployed in Lebanon, is a demining unit that can remove landmines manually and with mechanical instruments. Lieutenant General Phal Samorn, Gen. Sem Sovanny’s deputy, said that the group would also bring with it extra military equipment, spare parts, and medicine that will allow it to construct basic infrastructure and provide treatment to civilians where needed.

“It’s really a significant achievement that has been accomplished by our brave troops in the international arena,” Samorn added.

According to Cambodian government estimates, since 2006, Cambodia has dispatched 3,372 troops, 108 of whom were female, to join UN peacekeeping operations in Chad, the Central African Republic, Cyprus, Lebanon, Mali, Sudan, South Sudan, and Syria. The country currently has a total of 869 personnel deployed globally, with 853 troops and 16 military experts, according to UN contributor statistics.

Like many other contributing states, Cambodia’s involvement in peacekeeping is shaped by various factors, including the pursuit of regional and international recognition. While Phnom Penh is fairly new to peacekeeping, it is also a country where the United Nations previously had a peacekeeping mission – the controversial United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) – in the early 1990s to help end decades of civil war following the Paris Peace Accords.


http://thediplomat.com/2016/01/cambodia-marks-milestone-in-un-peacekeeping-contributions/

 

[Reashot Xigwin]

Indonesia Offers N219 Aircraft to Laos

N219 transport aircraft (photo: PKSNews)

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Indonesia and Laos have agreed to continue to enhance cooperation in the field of transportation.

Indonesia through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi has delivered products offer aircraft N219 Light Transport Aircraft made by PT Dirgantara Indonesia.

The offer came as Secretary held a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Sisoulith Thoungloun Laos in Vientiane, 01/27/2016.

"This aircraft with a capacity of 19 passengers and graded according to the geography of Laos. The initial contact has been made through the Ministry of Transport and Lao Airlines," said foreign ministry spokesman, Arrmanatha Nasir, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office, Jakarta, Thursday (01/28/2016).

According Arrmanatha, Laos are still learning more about the proposed offer. He is still not sure how many aircraft that will be purchased by Laos.

"This is just the start, Laos are still studying the deal. There are already some ASEAN countries who have purchased aircraft from Indonesia. I hope they buy a lot," he said.

In the bilateral meeting Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno also addressed related to maritime cooperation in the form of the development of the handling of illegal fishing, implementation of maritime cooperation in the context of the EAS.

In addition it also discussed cooperation on the establishment of legal instruments for the protection of migrant workers' rights, counter-terrorism, radicalism and extremism.

In addition to discussing efforts to increase bilateral cooperation, the meeting was also used Retno Foreign Minister to convey Indonesia's full support for Laos at the ASEAN chairmanship.

(http://nasional.kompas.com/read/201...esia.Tawarkan.Pesawat.Terbang.N219.untuk.Laos)

Source: https://defence.pk/threads/indonesi...omegrown-aircraft.412811/page-3#ixzz3ydHIT91M

 

[Reashot Xigwin]

Laos Interested in Yak-130 Aircraft


Yak-130 aircraft (photo : engineeringrussia)

Laos Air Force interested in acquiring Yak-130 Russian-made aircraft. Double function jet training and combat vehicles will be used for pilot training and combat missions. The correspondent "Lenta" at the Singapore Airshow 2016 Airshow said a source in the defense industry.

"Laos interested in this machine, it makes it relatively inexpensive to close a failure, formed after the failure of their MiG-21 aircraft, derived from the Soviet Union in 1970", - said the interlocutor "Lenta".

The source said that Laos could receive 16-20 aircraft, the contract will include supply of additional equipment, weapons and spare parts, as well as the organization of training of pilots and technicians.

Currently, the Air Force of Laos are registered about 25 MiG-21 fighters, but the vast majority of them are airworthy.

Yak-130 - double engine jet combat training a new generation of aircraft developed by the Yakovlev Design Bureau (now the Engineering center named after AS Yakovlev composed of NPK "Irkut"). It is intended for training and combat training of flight personnel, as well as to combat air and ground targets in simple and adverse weather conditions. Its flight characteristics and advanced management capabilities make it easy to adapt the system Yak-130 flight training on various types of modern aircraft, including the 5th generation fighter.

(Lenta)

 

[MarveL]

Indonesian Firm Lands Deal to Supply Uniforms
BY ZSOMBOR PETER | FEBRUARY 22, 2016

Indonesian firm Sri Rejeki signed a $50 million deal with the Ministry of Interior last week to supply Cambodia’s police and armed forces with new uniforms, according to the Indonesian Embassy and media reports.

A representative for Sri Rejeki, also known by the name Sritex, signed off on the deal in Phnom Penh on Wednesday with General Mao Bunarin, the Interior Ministry’s director-general of logistics and finance, according to Merati Irawati, the Indonesian Embassy’s head of economic affairs.

“They have an agreement. Sritex, they will start a new company here under the name Sritex Cambodia, and this company will buy the uniforms from Sritex Indonesia. And in the meantime they will build a factory here,” she said on Sunday.

Ms. Irawati said the company planned to build the factory in Kandal province by the end of the year, and that it would employ 400 people and supply uniforms to police and armed forces once it was up and running.

On Saturday, the Jakarta Globe reported that the deal was worth $50 million.

Sritex could not be reached for comment, but a statement posted to its website in September said the firm expected Cambodia to buy about 100,000 uniforms for the military alone. The company claims to make military uniforms for more than 30 countries.

Currently, many of the uniforms worn by Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, as well as other equipment, are donated by China. Beijing donated some 50,000 uniforms in 2011 and another 30,000 in 2014.

Ministry of Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak said he knew nothing about the deal with Sritex. He said police currently received their uniforms from a local manufacturer but he did not know which firm and referred further questions to Gen. Bunarin, who could not be reached.

The Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia, which represents most of the country’s garment factories, said it knew nothing of the deal, either. Spokesmen for the National Police and army could not be reached.

peter@cambodiadaily.com

Indonesian Firm Lands Deal to Supply Uniforms - The Cambodia Daily

 

[onebyone]

Cambodia in talks to buy warships from China
Thu, 25 February 2016
Vong Sokheng

The commander of the Royal Cambodian Navy yesterday revealed that Cambodia was in negotiations to buy two 140-metre heavy warships armed with modern weapon systems from China.

Admiral Tea Vinh made the revelation during a meeting with Chinese Rear Admiral Yu Manjiang at the Navy’s headquarters in Phnom Penh.

“The Royal Cambodian Navy needs two warships but communication is in process between the two defence ministries,” he said. “We will not use them for war – we will only use them to protect our territorial sovereignty. Cambodia should not be looked down on by its neighbours.”

During the meeting, Vinh also reminded Manjiang that Cambodia stayed on China’s side in the South China Sea dispute. He said he didn’t talk about such issues because “the Royal Cambodian Navy has close ties to China and respects One China”.

Three Chinese warships carrying 737 sailors docked in Preah Sihanouk province on Monday and are scheduled to leave on Friday. The Chinese navy personnel are undertaking joint exercises with the Cambodian Navy during the visit.
Cambodia in talks to buy warships from China, National, Phnom Penh Post

 

[Reashot Xigwin]

Russia, Laos Ink New Military Helicopter Deal


Moscow reaches new after-sale maintenance contract with Vientiane. Laos agreed to buy 12 Mi-17s from Russia in 1997, only a fraction of which seems to remain in service. (photo : helicopter-database)

Russia has inked a new deal with Laos for the repair of military equipment
According to media reports, Russian Helicopters, which is part of the state firm Rostec, signed the contract with the Laotian defense ministry. Under the four-year deal, experts from the firm will carry out helicopter repairs. Among the equipment to be serviced are two Mil Mi-17-1B and two Mi-17 multipurpose helicopters, the latter of which will be upgraded to Mi-17-1B during repair.

Laos had initially gotten the helicopters from Russia in the 1990s, with a contract signed for 12 Mil Mi-17s in 1996 and delivered over the next few years.

Russia and Laos have been discussing the possibility of new repair arrangements for a while now. At the Dubai Airshow last year, RIA Novosti deputy general director Alexander Scherbinin had said that the possibility of repairing two Lao Mil Mi-17s at Sevastopol repair plant was under discussion.

The Mil Mi-17 helicopter made headlines in Laos last year when one of them carrying 23 people – 19 passengers and four crew members – was declared missing after losing contact with air traffic control in the capital city of Vientiane.

Russia has after-sale maintenance helicopter contracts with other countries as well. With respect to Laos’ neighbor Vietnam, for instance, Moscow and Hanoi had even undertaken a joint venture to set up helicopter company HELITECHCO which was founded in 1994. HELITECHCO has since repaired more than 80 civil helicopters belonging to government and commercial operators from several Asian countries, including Vietnam, Laos, India, Australia and New Zealand.

Earlier this year, Russian Helicopters had said at the 2016 Singapore Airshow that it was performing a scheduled technical audit to check on the possibility of conducting Mi-8/17 military helicopter repairs there. Necessary boosts for operations were said to include more training for specialists as well as additional equipment and infrastructure.

(The Diplomat)

 

[Nike]

http://thediplomat.com/2017/09/will-laos-buy-new-weapons-from-indonesia/

Will Laos Buy New Weapons from Indonesia?
Jakarta continues to look for regional opportunities for its state-owned defense companies.


By Prashanth Parameswaran
September 26, 2017


On September 24, reports surfaced that one of Indonesia’s state-owned defense companies had received interest from Laos for some new arms sales. The reports are part of a broader development where Jakarta is seeking to strengthen its defense industry, including through selling more products to regional countries like Laos with which it is commemorating 60 years of relations this year.

As I have noted before, Indonesia, not unlike some other major Asian states, has been trying to get its state-owned defense firms, including shipbuilder PT PAL, weapons and land systems maker PT PINDAD, and aircraft maker PT DI, to sell more products abroad and to boost their level of expertise. Though some advances have been made, familiar challenges remain (See: “An Indonesian Defense Revolution Under Jokowi?”).

A case in point is PT PAL. Though it has seen some advances – from a contract to deliver Strategic Sealift Vessels (SSVs) to the Philippines to other reported orders from other ASEAN and African nations – the picture is not quite as sunny as Indonesian officials portray it to be (See: “Indonesia: A New Shipbuilding Magnet from ASEAN to Africa?”).

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Indonesia continues to market the products of its state-owned defense firms, and the recent Laos story that made the headlines is a case in point. As state-owned media outlet ANTARA News reported, the interest from Laos came after PT PINDAD had promoted its products to the Laos defense ministry as one of the companies participating in the Trade and Tourism Fair 2017 held by the Indonesian Embassy in Vientiane to mark the 60th anniversary of Indonesia-Laos relations. PT PINDAD’s vice president for export Ridi Djajakusuma was quoted as saying that the ministry had expressed “keen interest” in buying weapons such as short rifles and ammunition.

Laos is no stranger to Indonesian weapons, having previously purchased weapons such as pistols, rifles, and ammunition. Djajakusuma said the interest expressed this time by the ministry during their meeting on September 21 was roughly along the same lines product-wise, specifically in buying G2 elite pistols, SPR sniper rifles, and ammunition.

It will be interesting to see how this progresses as the two countries continue commemorating their 60th anniversary this year, which has already seen a flurry of activity. Security cooperation has factored into broader bilateral discussions, including at the fifth iteration of the Indonesia-Laos Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation held in Jakarta in July led by their two foreign ministers Retno Marsudi and Saleumzay Kommasith. Laos Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith is due to visit Indonesia later this year.

 

[TaiShang]

Legacies...

***

PHNOM PENH -- About 800 Cambodian villagers were evacuated to a safe refuge on Tuesday, as experts began an operation to remove two U.S. tear gas barrel bombs left from the Vietnam war era, an operation leader said.

The two chemical bombs, containing 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile (CS), a type of tear gas, were dropped from a U.S. warplane during the Vietnam war a half-century ago, Lt. Gen. Ke Da, deputy secretary general of the Cambodian Defense Ministry's anti-chemical weapons authority, said. (Cambodia-Security)

http://www.china.org.cn/world/Off_the_Wire/2017-10/04/content_41683819.htm

 

[sahureka2]

The Royal Cambodian Navy will receive as a gift the Chinese frigate Type 053H2 铜陵 / Tongling optical number 542, fourth and last unit of this version,

that therefore will not follow the sisters modified to perform tasks within the Chinese Coast Guard,

The ship is currently undergoing maintenance work and, as photos, all the weapon systems have been disembarked. Operations to remove sensitive equipment are also under way.

At the moment it is not known which weapon systems will be on board.
This unit will become the largest war ship in Cambodia.

 

[sahureka2]

The official ceremony for the transfer of four Yak-130 combat training aircraft from Russia to Laos